The Minnesota State patrol has issued a report clearing Rice County Sheriff’s Deputy Sergeant Trevor Peterson of any fault in an
incident in January that resulted in the death of fifty-two-year-old Stephanie Wesley of Faribault.
On January 29th, Peterson’s squad car struck and killed Wesley who was lying in the road on Highway 60 just east of Morristown. It was a dark night, and the road in unlit. Footage from Peterson’s squad car camera showed that Wesley appeared in Peterson’s headlights just moments before she was hit.
The report was based on that footage along with a reconstruction of the accident. Peterson was found to have been driving at or below the posted
To ensure there was no appearance of a conflict of interest, Rice County Attorney John Fossum asked the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office to review the findings. On Friday, Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem, declined to charge Peterson with any crime.
Wesley, who died at the scene of multiple blunt-force injuries, had a blood alcohol level of .235, nearly three times the legal limit, according to the State Patrol report.
“The investigation into this tragic incident is now closed,” said Fossum through a statement. “We appreciate the careful work of the Minnesota State Patrol in completing the investigation, and the assistance of the Olmsted County Attorney in reviewing the file for potential charges.”
City looking at bikeways through several busy corridors
The City Council is considering a plan to create two-way protected bikeways in seven areas throughout the city. 
Last Tuesday, the council heard a presentation from Alta Planning + Design, the active transportation company hired by the city to suggest improvements to Northfield’s walkability and bikeability. The proposal aims to make biking safer in Northfield, an issue on many people’s minds since the tragic death of 14-year-old Melanie Valencia earlier this month.
City Administrator Ben Martig said one important takeaway from the presentation is that only a small number of people actually feel comfortable biking in traffic. That’s why he said the city is considering building “a system of networks for sidewalks, trails, and biking” that allows “all ages and abilities” to get around Northfield safely and comfortably.
Martig explained that there are three main ways biking can be accommodated and encouraged in Northfield. He said the ideal situation is to build a bikeway up next to the sidewalk with a boulevard between the bikeway and the road. That, however, can only be done when a street is already being completely redone. Another option is to paint street lines to delineate a bike lane, but that often isn’t enough to make bikers feel safe or to keep them safe. The middle ground solution recommended by Alta involves adding a four-inch buffer, or curb, between the bike lanes and the car lanes.
Martig said the idea is to create these safer bike lanes on larger, busier streets in Northfield.
“Areas kind of cutting through the community and being connector points. Once you get into the neighborhoods and that type of a thing, then the lower traffic volumes and lower speeds don’t demand that type of infrastructure, but as it relates to having kind of those major roadways where maybe the speeds are a little higher, it’s really trying to find a way to protect bicyclists so they can be safe riding in those types of environments.”
However, these plans are not a done deal. One controversial aspect of the proposal is that some street parking would be removed to make room for the upgraded bike lanes.
Informational meetings for the public to learn about and comment on the proposal will be held in September. Martig expects some details of the final plan to be approved by the City Council in October.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Area United Way announces ‘Day of Caring’
The Rice County Area United Way will host Day of Caring on Friday, September 23. 
The Day of Caring is a community-wide effort that brings together volunteers and local businesses to provide short term, project-focused volunteer service with non-profit and public organizations. While this will be the first time a Day of Caring has taken place in Rice County, it has been a beloved event held around the world for many years by other local United Ways.
The event will take place in Faribault, Northfield and Lonsdale. Teams of volunteers from companies and the community will take on projects for nonprofit agencies, schools and the cities.
According to the United Way website the Day of Caring is designed to “give volunteers an opportunity to assist community organizations in achieving their goals, learn more about solutions to community issues, and experience the intrinsic rewards of contributing to the well-being of our region.”
“Day of Caring is a great team-building event that benefits the whole community through an all-out volunteer effort,” said Elizabeth Child, the Rice County Area United Way Executive Director. “Nonprofits will be grateful to get help for projects that they have struggled to complete – often because of limited resources.”
Teams can be of any size and ability. Projects range from light activity such as stocking Little Libraries, to more vigorous jobs like painting the historic schoolhouse in Faribault or weatherizing manufactured housing.
Grab-and-go breakfast or lunch will be supplied by Target Stores and Kwik Trip. Teams can choose morning or afternoon for their activity. They will meet at Sechler Park in Northfield or the United Way District Office in Faribault. In addition, Lonsdale will host a tree planting activity.
A statement issued by the Rice County Area United Way said anyone is welcome to register a team at ricecountyunitedway.org/day-caring.
The deadline to register is August 31.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
